Sheffield

Sheffield's population increased by about 39,500 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population passed 550,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Sheffield increased by 7.7%, from just over 513,000 to 553,000.

The addition of just over 39,000 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Sheffield was home to, on average, 11 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it Yorkshire and The Humber's second-most densely-populated district.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Sheffield

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Sheffield decreased by one year, from 37 to 36 years.

This area had a lower average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and became somewhat younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just over 19,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just over 7,000.

About 17.0% of people in Sheffield are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

Sheffield saw England's third-largest fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad, as the regional average fell from 10.3% to 6.0%.

In 2011, just under 1 in 16 (6.2%) in Sheffield said their health was bad or very bad, compared with 11.3% in 2001. The percentage that perceived their health as good or very good increased from 65.2% to 80.1%.

England's largest decrease in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad occurred in Barnsley (from 14.1% to 8.4%) followed by Manchester (from 12.5% to 7.1%).

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Sheffield decreased by 5.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Sheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Sheffield

Sheffield saw Yorkshire and The Humber's largest rise in the proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

In 2011, just under 9 in 10 (89.6%) in Sheffield reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities, compared with 89.1% in 2001. The percentage who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.8% to 4.0%.

Across the region, Bradford saw the next largest increase in the proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability (which remained close to 90.2%).

During this period, Sheffield overtook eight local authority areas, including Craven and East Riding of Yorkshire, to become the Yorkshire and The Humber local authority area with the ninth-highest percentage of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

The proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

More single people in Sheffield

Sheffield saw Yorkshire and The Humber's second-largest rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (41.2%) people aged 16 and over in Sheffield said they were single, compared with 33.6% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 47.6% to 41.9%.

Across the region, only Kingston upon Hull saw a greater rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership (from 34.2% to 42.1%).

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership, as the regional average grew from 28.6% to 33.9%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Fall in social renting

The percentage of Sheffield households that rented through social housing schemes decreased from 30.1% to 24.8% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in six (15.6%) households rented privately, compared with 8.5% in 2001. The percentage of Sheffield households that owned their home decreased from 59.8% to 58.3%.

The proportion of socially rented homes decreased faster here than in any other local authority district across Yorkshire and The Humber. As a result, this area had the region’s second highest proportion of socially rented homes.

Kingston upon Hull had Yorkshire and The Humber's highest proportion of socially rented homes (28.1%), while Wakefield had the region's third highest proportion (23.6%).

The rate of social housing in Sheffield decreased by 5.4 percentage points

Percentage of households in Sheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented socially, March 2001 and March 2011

More students

Sheffield saw Yorkshire and The Humber's largest rise in the proportion of students.

In 2011, just under 1 in 18 (5.6%) people aged 16 to 74 in Sheffield said they were in education, compared with 3.3% in 2001. The percentage that were employed decreased from 49.4% to 48.1%.

Across the region, York saw the next largest increase in the proportion of students (from 3.9% in 2001 to 5.7% in 2011).

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of students, as the regional average grew from 2.5% to 3.5%.

The percentage of students in Sheffield increased by 2.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Sheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Sheffield working less than 16 hours increased from 2.0% to 3.8% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just under 1 in 13 (7.4%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 11.0% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased faster here than anywhere else in Yorkshire and The Humber. As a result, this area had the region’s highest proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Sheffield increased by 1.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Sheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

Sheffield saw Yorkshire and The Humber's largest fall in the proportion of households with adult children living with their parents.

In 2011, just over 1 in 12 (8.6%) households in Sheffield had only adult children living with their parents, compared with 9.3% in 2001. The percentage with at least one child increased from 27.3% to 27.8%.

Across the region, York saw the next largest decrease in the proportion of households with adult children living with their parents (from 8.4% in 2001 to 8.0% in 2011).

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Sheffield residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.3% to 1.4% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 40 (2.6%) reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 2.5% in 2001.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care decreased faster here than in any other local authority district across Yorkshire and The Humber. The improvement brought health in Sheffield close to the regional average 1.4% in Yorkshire and The Humber described their health as good in 2011).

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Sheffield remained close to 1.4%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Sheffield

In 2011, 8.0% of Sheffield residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from from 5.0% in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 4.7% to 7.3%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 83.7% of people in Sheffield said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 91.2% in 2001. About 3.6% said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, compared with 1.8% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from 1.6% to 2.4%.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Sheffield increased by 3.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Sheffield

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Sheffield was among those who said they had no religion, rising 14.1 points.

In 2011, 33.5% of respondents in Sheffield gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 19.4% of those who answered in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as having no religion increased from 15.3% to 27.8%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Sheffield, 56.4% said they were Christian, compared with 74.4% in 2001. About 8.3% said they were Muslim, compared with 5.0% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and said they were Sikh increased from 0.2% to 0.2%.

In Sheffield, 6.8% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 7.8% in 2001. In Yorkshire and The Humber, 6.8% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

The population without a religion in Sheffield increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Sheffield by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing household dynamics

The percentage of households in Sheffield, which comprised one person, remained close to 31.9% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just under one in nine (10.8%) households had an unmarried couple, compared with 8.9% in 2001. The percentage of households in Sheffield which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 33.9% to 29.9%.

The proportion of one-person households increased here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 29.5% in 2001 to 30.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage remained close to 30.3%.

The percentage of households with only one person was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

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